The assassination of José Luis Solís López (Compañero Galeano), the EZLN’s response, the national and international protests that followed, the day of homage and the disappearance of the personage called Marcos have dominated the news this month. We’ll attempt to summarize events about which hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of words have been written in many languages…

On May 2, 2014, members of the Independent Central of Agricultural Workers and Campesinos Historic (CIOAC-H, its initials in Spanish), as well as members of the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM) and the National Action Party (PAN) attacked civilian Zapatista support bases in the Zapatista Caracol of La Realidad. They first attacked some Zapatista bases who were arriving in the Caracol with stones and clubs. Next, they destroyed an autonomous school and clinic, most likely to draw the Zapatistas out of the offices in which they were meeting. They were meeting to resolve a dispute between the Good Government Junta and the CIOAC-H over a truck owned by the Junta that had been retained by the CIOAC-H. Two members of the Frayba Human Rights Centre were present at the meeting and were eyewitnesses to the events.

On hearing the attack, the Zapatistas came out of the meeting. Compañero Galeano, a Zapatista support base and teacher at the Zapatista Escuelita, was attacked with clubs, machetes and firearms. According to the EZLN communiqué, Pain and Rage, he was brutally and intentionally murdered in a planned and premeditated military-style attack. Another 15 Zapatistas were injured, some seriously. Subcomandate Moisés cancelled all scheduled public events, including the meeting with indigenous peoples and organizations of the National Indigenous Congress and the homage that they had prepared for compañero Don Luis Villoro Toranzo, as well as participation in the Seminar “Ethics in the face of Dispossession,” that was being organized by artists and intellectuals in Mexico and the world. The Escuelitas were also suspended.

The Good Government Junta turned the matter of the murder and attack over to the EZLN’s commanders, the CCRI-CG.

The commanders went to La Realidad and on May 13 released the first results of their investigation in the Fragments of La Realidad 1 communiqué. They also announced a day of homage to Galeano on May 24.

In Mexico, and throughout the world, students from the Escuelitas and adherents to the Sixth organized letters of support denouncing the attack and murder. In the United States a national sign-on letter circulated that also called for protest actions.

Marcos made an appearance in La Realidad at the May 24 homage. He left and returned a few hours later in the early hours of May 25 and announced the disappearance of the personage known as Marcos in Between Light and Shadow. He will be known as Subcomandante Insurgente Galeano from now on, so that Galeano lives! The significance of this change means that Subcomandante Moisés will be signing those communiqués and will be the EZLN’s spokesperson. Thus, the EZLN will have an Indigenous man as the public face of the collective that is the EZLN.

Also on May 24, Subcomandante Moisés issued a communiqué with more information about the investigation into the crimes in La Realidad.

On May 28, Sup Moisés issued acommuniqué with an update on the Little Schools, the need for Peace Campers (campamentistas or international observers) in La Realidad and the need for materials (money to buy them) to replace the autonomous school and clinic in La Realidad.

On May 30, Sup Moisés announced August 2 and 3 as the dates for the “Sharing with Indigenous compañer@s of the National Indigenous Congress. He also announced that dates for the first and second levels of Escuelitas Zapatistas would be made public very soon.